Of the multitude of ways any team that’s played the West Virginia Mountaineers this season could possibly describe Bob Huggins’ feisty group, fun to play against certainly wouldn’t be one of them. They press you from buzzer to buzzer, baseline to baseline. They press you on made shots, missed shots, steals, in-bounds plays and anything else you can name.
Hell, if you want your new suit pressed, they’ll be all over that, too. This relentless, havoc-wreaking style has earned the Mountaineers the title “Press Virginia” as their smothering efforts have led to a Sweet 16 date with the crown jewel of the NCAA tournament; the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats.
West Virginia has forced a combined 40 turnovers in its first two NCAA Tournament games. Mountaineers epitomize relentlessness.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 23, 2015
Most team’s would be – and have been — intimidated by the staggering length, athleticism and goose egg in the loss column John Calipari’s Wildcats boast, but the gritty, hard-nosed nature of West Virginia makes them a definite exception, as seen by freshman guard Jevon Carter, via George Schroeder of USAToday.com:
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“We knew they were in our (bracket). We don’t show no fear. It doesn’t really matter who we play, we’re gonna do what we’re gonna do — let’s give ’em their first loss.”
In the post-game press conference after West Virginia’s 69-59 victory over the Maryland Terrapins in the round of 32, sophomore power forward Devin Williams and senior guard Juwan Staten expressed their thoughts on the upcoming matchup with Kentucky:
“It’s another team,” Williams said. “They put their drawers on the same way we do.”
Staten would echo his teammates sentiments before reiterating how WVU consistently finds themselves as the underdogs before coming out on top:
“They didn’t think we’d get past Buffalo. We got past Buffalo. They didn’t think we’d get past Maryland. We got past Maryland. I’m pretty sure nobody in the world thinks we’re going to get past Kentucky besides that 1.2 million that’s in West Virginia. So we’re going to keep doing what we do.”
What West Virginia does is play a very ugly style of basketball that has turned out to be pretty successful this season for Huggins. The Mountaineers lead the nation in steals per game with 10.9, which has led to the Mountaineers having the second best turnover margin rating in the country at 6.7. That nearly doubles that of Kentucky’s 3.4.
But with the success that stems from the constant pressure West Virginia imposes comes the ugliness of committing the most fouls per game in entire nation with 23.3 per game.
Ugly isn’t conventional, but it’s how West Virginia wins basketball games and there aren’t any plans in place to alter that style simply because the top ranked team in the country is on the other side of the court with a ticket to the Elite Eight on the line, via USAToday.com:
“We’re gonna make it as ugly as we can make it,” sophomore forward Devin Williams said. “At the end of the game, whatever way it goes, both teams have got to have their tongues hanging out of their mouths. That’s the only way it can be.”
If West Virginia is going to pull an upset that will go down in history — as they will be known as the team that killed Kentucky’s hopes of completing the first ever 40-0 season – one thing they cannot afford to do is get away from the tenacious style that got them to the Sweet 16 and it actually presents some favorable matchups for the Mountaineers.
West Virginia lives on the offensive glass with 16.5 offensive boards per game, which is good for the best in the country. They have the seventh-best offensive rebound percentage in the country at 38.8 percent, which could lead to some much-needed easy baskets against the Wildcats 129th-ranked defensive rebounding percentage of 72 percent, per teamrankings.com.
Additionally, Kentucky usually has the ability to wear down their opponents with the depth of their platoons and ability to bring fresh bodies in like clockwork. They won’t have this advantage on West Virginia, who is arguably the most well-conditioned unit in the country and features 10 guys who play at least 12.9 minutes per game.
Huggins knows that even with the overwhelming style his club has imposed on the opposition this season, their matchup with Kentucky is going to be one that’s going to be a tall task to overcome for another appearance in the Elite Eight, which they haven’t had since they upset Kentucky’s loaded team led by John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins in the 2010 Elite Eight 73-66.
Historically, Huggins has had Calipari’s number in head-to-head matchups. He leads the series between the old friend 8-2 all-time, but is aware that the Kentucky team his Mountaineers are set to face Thursday night is a beast unlike any he’s ever seen.
Cincy on the Prowl
When asked about his chances to successfully upset Kentucky in WVU’s post-game press conference, Huggins responded, “Well, 36 people haven’t been. I don’t know,” Huggins said. “We’re going to have fun trying.”
West Virginia is arguably the most imposing roadblock in Kentucky’s road out of the Midwest Region.
There’s no question that it would go down as a historic upset if the junkyard dogs Huggins puts on the court each night were able to knock off a Kentucky team that’s arguably the most talented ever and littered with NBA prospects, but that doesn’t means Huggins or his Mountaineers are scared of the challenge ahead.
“I wish I could sit here and tell you we’re definitely going to win,” Huggins said. “I can’t do that. But I can tell you that we’re not going to be scared.”
Quotes obtained from West Virginia’s press conference following their victory over Maryland unless noted otherwise.
Next: NCAA Tournament Day 4 Recap, Review, Analysis
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